Caddo Lake and Other Things

Travel: I finally got my long awaited trip. My family had such fun at Caddo Lake in east Texas! I have wanted to visit for a long time, and the area didn’t disappoint. The only thing I think that would have made it better is waiting another month for it to “green up.” Otherwise a lot of memories were made! We especially enjoyed Captain Ron’s Swamp Tour. So informative! We learned about the “trees knees” and the markings used by travelers to navigate through the cypress trees. Who knew paddleboats used this waterway back in the day??

Exercise: This month is my one year anniversary of my knee replacement! I’m still very glad I did it. Yoga and Pilates require me to get on my knees, so I still need a cushion of some sort. Guess I always will! I’m still trying to shed these extra pounds (maybe give up my extra libations? Nah!). But while I am busy beating myself up about what I NEED to do, I stopped and realized what I HAVE done. I consistently walk at least two miles each day, I attend regular exercise classes at the Y (yoga, Pilates, Zumba), and I do strength training at least once a week. It’s all about the small accomplishments. Don’t worry about what you aren’t doing. Keep focused and moving forward in your journey!

Essential Oils: Young Living is still my favorite choice of all of the essential oils on the market. A favorite (that I make sure also travels with me) is Citrus Fresh.

It’s a combination of orange, grapefruit, mandarin, lemon and spearmint. I love to put a few drops in my hands, rub them together, and inhale after a workout. Put a few drops on a cotton ball and tuck under your car seat. And of course, diffuse alone in your home or mix with a woodsy oil (eucalyptus, cedarwood, cypress) for springtime freshness!

And it might be two weeks until I talk to you again. Got tickets to see Ashley McBryde in KANSAS CITY next week! Woo hoo! So excited! I’ll be sure to give you the low down on the concert and the city!

The Evolution of a Blog

Hello everyone! I took a little hiatus but I’m back at it!

My daughter Allison and I started this blog four years ago (say wutttt). We had just come back from a destination wedding in Florence, Italy (yes like WOW). She was still teaching elementary school and trying to corral two youngsters, while I was also teaching at a local community college. We worded our blog from two unique perspectives: teacher/wife/mother and teacher/grandmother/traveler. Allison has since moved on to other projects (she’s been able to retire from teaching and be a full-time mom while working on building a side business). I am now retired (mostly thanks to Covid) but still very active!

But I forget that EVERY year starts off cold and/or rainy and generally dreary. It often messes with your head, doesn’t it? It can’t be just me! So when my husband accidentally banged up my Mercedes convertible (fondly known as Maybelline) I guess I just went into a funk! Writing this blog was just not high on my To Do list. I just couldn’t make myself sit and write about, well, anything!

As we all know life goes on and you should choose how to live it! One thing I have neglected to do is choose my word. “The practice of choosing a “Word of the Year” is that, instead of setting a lot of different New Years Resolutions, you select one single word to be your focus for the year. You can use that word to set goals or intentions for each area of your life but have them all tie back to the single word.” So this year I choose EMBRACE. I am going to embrace my people (literally and figuratively, which means letting go of past differences), embrace opportunities and embrace challenges. I may be 65 years young but I was put here for a purpose, and if my purpose is to be a light then so be it!

So here we/I go! I’m done fretting about things I have no control over and will keep looking forward and embrace. My grandkids are at an age of getting involved in activities, so I see a lot of baseball games and gymnastics in my future! This weekend we are going to Caddo Lake in east Texas. Did you know that it is the only naturally made lake in Texas? After this weekend I will be able to tell you a lot more about it–and with visual aids! Ha ha!

Thank you faithful readers and I hope I haven’t lost too many of you. I’ll be back each week on Wednesdays to share my adventures with you, as well as keep you informed of my exercising and weight loss success. Not too sure about that, because I sure do like my wine! Ha ha ha.

As for Essential Oils (Young Living being my chosen brand), my first recommendation this year is purification.

Purification® essential oil blend is a combination of Citronella, Lavandin, Lemongrass, Myrtle, Rosemary, and Tea Tree that is formulated for diffusing to neutralize and cleanse your home and work environment. It is also soothing to your skin for everyday irritations.

See you next week!

Patience/Tolerance: Same Difference!

I hope you are all having good times and making happy memories these last couple of months of 2021. I don’t know about you, but I will be glad to see this year go! With a lockdown for 2020, we were hoping that this year would be a bit more lenient. We did get in some family trips but were still constantly reminded of COVID-19 restrictions. And then there was a bit of family drama over the Thanksgiving holiday. I was reminded (by my husband) that I needed to take a “patient pill.” What?! Who are you calling impatient?! Ummm, obviously me. Have you ever been right about something and feel the need to drive the point home because those around you don’t seem to get it? You get the idea. I definitely should have taken a different tack with my situation. Isn’t hindsight always 20/20? The misunderstanding has been rectified, but from now on I will be a little more introspective if and when a similar situation arises. Could you, too, use a little humbling?

I’ve mentioned that we are blessed to have a place in Ruidoso, New Mexico. I was also lucky enough to spend some time there by myself a few weeks ago. I did some maintenance and turned to see this bad boy walking by!

Later I ventured over to the Inn of the Mountain Gods. Unfortunately the bar area was not open at the time (!), but I did manage to get this beautiful sunset image from their back patio!

I’m still hard at work on my daily exercise. Daily walks are such a habit now that I feel badly if I don’t get one in. That’s why you sometimes have to force yourself to do something you do not like temporarily until you like it consistently! But everything in moderation, too. Tuesday was yoga, followed by 30 minutes on the exercise bike (I need to keep working that “new” knee), and then yesterday was Zumba. Maybe a little too much back to back, says my thighs! Ha ha!

I’ll continue to promote Young Living oils–I think they are the best! And speaking of achy muscles (!), try diffusing these oils individually to ease your pain: Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Wintergreen, and Rosemary.

Thank you for being a loyal reader! If you enjoy the blog, I would love it if you would Follow Me and I’ll come straight to your email. Until next time!